Women’s soccer plays to Elon-gated tie vs. the Phoenix

Quinn Casteel
Staff Writer

A full 90 minutes and two overtime periods were not enough on Sunday afternoon, as the VCU women’s soccer team played a 1-1 draw against Elon in their final tune-up before the beginning of conference play. As has been the trend for VCU throughout this young season, the match was physical, and for the most part, a battle of attrition.

Elon nearly struck first on two separate occasions early in the first half, but they were unable to capitalize. Just ten minutes in, Elon forward Catherine Brinkman found herself on a breakaway down the middle of the field before she was taken out by a gutsy sliding tackle inside the box by Ram defender Molly Allen. Minutes later, VCU freshman goalkeeper Megan Lynch was forced to make a dangerous save, which she deflected with a little help from the crossbar.

VCU found momentum from their defensive efforts and opened the scoring with 15 minutes to play in the first half. Game-breaking midfielder Breiana White finished off a pass from forward Aisha Allen, sending the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. White’s goal was her seventh through just the first nine matches of the young season, and she now leads the team with 13 points.

The botched opportunities and mounting frustration reached its peak for Elon with five minutes left in the first when Brinkman pulled a shot wide in front of an empty net; Lynch found herself caught in no-man’s land on the play, but it would not cost her.

“[Lynch] is going to make mistakes, but that comes with getting better,” said co-head coach Tim Sahaydak on his freshman keeper. “One great opportunity for her will be getting all these minutes, and I think she has done a great job so far.”

The Rams took a 1-0 lead and all the momentum into halftime, having allowed just one shot on-target in the first 45 minutes of play. However, all that momentum would be halted immediately. Elon managed three shots on goal within the first five minutes of the second half, but Lynch and the VCU defense held strong.

Elon’s offense showed signs of life, but it would not be their efforts that got them on the scoreboard. A miscommunication between defender Myriam Bouchard and Lynch resulted in an own goal by the Rams. In an attempt to get the ball into the hands of her keeper, Bouchard headed the ball in Lynch’s direction from point blank range, but the pass whizzed past Lynch’s head and into the back of the net.

Following the own goal, the frustrations of both sides showed, and it became a physical battle on the pitch. VCU found signs of life in their offense, but they were plagued throughout the match by offsides calls.

After a somewhat stagnant end of regulation, the first 10:00 overtime started out with a bang. Just two minutes in, White broke away for what she hoped would be the game winning goal; she sent a shot past the diving efforts of Elon keeper Shannon Cosgrove, but it was denied by the right goalpost.

White’s near-winner would be the last real threat of the contest as both overtime periods were scoreless. The draw against Elon completes VCU’s non-conference schedule, which they finished with a record of 4-2-3. The Rams will take on Northeastern in their first CAA matchup on Sept. 24 at home.

“The focus right now is to just get better each match,” said Sahaydak. “We need to stay on track and continue to fix things.”